Miserable at Best
by Selvet
Summary: The Phoenix Group has taken over Terra Nova and now Alexandra Taylor's life is in danger. Lucas sneaks his sister out of the colony and gets her to the Sixer camp. But the camp can only be a safe haven for so long. - AU,OC/OC -


**A/N:** This is my new story :D I wasn't sure when I'd post, I originally planned to wait until after I finished my other fic, _Sins & Omissions_, but I couldn't wait. I probably won't be able to update this very often, but hopefully more often after I finish my other story which shouldn't be _too _much longer as I think it only has about ten or so more chapters left :)

This story has a similar theme to S&O, as Lucas also has a younger sister, but that one is more of "family fic" and this one will be more centered around my two OCs. This is not connected to S&O at all; this is an OC/OC story.

A big thank you to my new beta, Dannylionthe1st for helping me out sooo much with this first chapter! And also to Emtheunicorn and Jemmz for also helping out a ton and giving me advice :D

So read and review and let me know what you think! I love to hear your thoughts and opinions.

* * *

Alexandra Taylor sat quietly at her brother's old desk, her long dirty-blonde hair hung around her face. Plex in hand, she scrolled through the short list of books, hoping to distract herself. It was getting dark outside, silhouette trees looming all around. The balcony creaked quietly as footsteps made their way to a chair near the doorway. A small breeze rolled through the doorway, sending chills up her spine. She chose an old book, one of her favorites, _Secret Life of Bees _- a story about a girl trying to find herself. It kind of reminded Alex of herself sometimes, not knowing where or if she belonged. Alex opened up to the first page, but soon found herself re-reading the first sentence over and over. She couldn't stop worrying about her brother. She debated briefly about joining _him_ outside, like she so often did when her worries were overwhelming her. But she soon decided against it. She forced herself to look back at the screen and read, trying to ignore the building concerns.

Alex had come to Terra Nova on the last "pilgrimage" with the Phoenix Group. She had barely step through the portal when her world turned into chaos. Where she expected to see the faces of her father, brother and the happy colony that had been described to her, she saw people crying, and a few who were dead.

Alexandra had been ten years old when her father went through the portal, leaving her in the care of her eighteen year old brother. He had promised he would send for the two of them. He had sent for Lucas, but not for her.

She had found herself going to a very expensive and preppy private school. How her father had the money to afford it, she didn't know and she didn't care. She lived with Lucas, until their father summoned him to Terra Nova. Lucas wasn't too happy about it. After all, their father seemed to always nag him and make him feel as if he weren't good enough. As if the death of their mother was Lucas' fault. And for some reason, it had been her that was left behind in the dying world. She remembered that before Lucas left, he had told her that things would get better for the both of them and that he would talk to her as soon as possible.

Alex was surprised when her brother did contact her. She had been told that no one could be contacted from Terra Nova. But, of course, this was her brother. He would have found a way to communicate with her. The communication was rare, and she was sworn to secrecy. She couldn't help but wish her father would talk to her. And then, they stopped just before the Sixth pilgrimage.

The girl had freaked out and demanded for information, but the Phoenix Group had little answers. Then, only a few months later, she was able to talk to her brother again. However, this time was different. She gaped at his new appearance for a long time before asking what had happened. He looked exhausted as if he rarely slept, and his eyes were angry. He wasted no time in telling her how he and their father had gotten into an argument. And then he told her that their own father had banished him from Terra Nova. Alex couldn't help but feel like he was hiding something, but then she grew angry. She couldn't believe that he would throw his own child out of his colony. It was then that Alex vowed never to communicate with their father.

And so the years passed. And then Lucas surprised her with a letter sent directly to her plex. In it he formally requested that she join the twelfth pilgrimage to Terra Nova. He had said that he had reconciled with their father and wanted her to join him. She had been slightly suspicious that he didn't contact her personally, as he had been, but excitement soon made her forget. She was finally going to be with her family again.

When Alex stepped through the portal she found herself in a world filled with chaos. It was a war zone. She didn't have time to question it before she was quickly whisked away to the fort where she met her brother. He was none too happy to see her. She wasn't sure why he was upset, he had requested that she be there. Lucas had continuously muttered something about needing to "revise his plans." Before she knew it, her brother was sending her off into the jungle with a small group of feral-looking people called _Sixers_ and a vague explanation.

She spent most of her time confided to her brother's old tree house, simply because she couldn't find much to do around the nearly empty camp. Out of the twenty or so Sixers that hadn't moved back into the colony, only two were there with her full-time. One was Drake, as far as she knew, he'd been given the easy job due to an injury he received a while back from a Slasher. It had messed up one of his legs pretty badly and since then he didn't do a whole lot. The second was a young man named Ryan, the younger brother of Mira's right-hand man, the notorious Carter. While his older brother chose to go by their last name (nobody seemed to know his first one), Ryan preferred his first. He didn't want to get them confused with his brother, even though the only similarity they really shared was their last name.

The two brothers were vastly different in some ways, in very similar in others. They were both tall with tanned skin and black hair. While Carter had dark brown eyes, Ryan's were a bright, sapphire blue. They had matching tattoos on their right shoulders, a large, round symbol of some sort. Both had smug smiles and were visibly hardened by their time in the jungle. But despite their physical similarities, during the brief time Alex saw the two together, it was clear that their personalities were very unalike. The older Carter was rougher and mean; he was dedicated to serving Mira and didn't really care how things got done, as long as they did. Ryan was tough as well, but he was kinder and quieter than his brother. In Alex's eyes, Carter was an "enforcer" while Ryan seemed more like a "protector."

Alex had no idea how he landed the job though. It didn't matter much. Their job seemed relatively easy. They patrolled the camp, brought her food, guarded her tree house at night, and so on. They were always around, but they rarely spoke to her. She wasn't sure if it was that maybe they had been told not to, or if they just hated having to "babysit" her.

Although they rarely talked to her, there was one specific occasion that Alex couldn't help but replay in her mind. It had happened one of the first nights that she was there. She had been having a nightmare. She was sure that she screamed, although she couldn't remember. Whatever had happened, she had woken up suddenly. Ryan was leaning over her, gently shaking her with a firm grip her shoulders. Her green eyes were wide with fear as she struggled to slow her heart rate. For a brief moment, she had focused on his bright blue eyes. She didn't notice the concern on the young man's face.

He had told her that it was just a dream and that she was safe.

She vaguely remembered being confused at his presence. Why was he in her room? The question didn't linger as she drifted back to sleep. Her brain last registered him grabbing a chair and sitting down next to her bed. She had never figured him for the "comforting type."

Alex found that when she couldn't sleep, she would grab the desk chair and join him on the balcony. She wasn't sure if it was his company that she wanted, or just company in general. He would stare straight ahead, ignoring her. She would quietly gaze up at the blanket of stars above them, just letting her mind wander aimlessly. As the night would drag on, she would find it harder to evade the much needed rest. Ryan would stare at her with arched eyebrows as her eyelids began to droop. He would never say anything, but she always found herself retorting in anger at his assessing glance.

Then she would wake up in the morning, back in her bed.

But he never said a single word, and it frustrated her. She didn't know why she cared whether the Sixer spoke to her or not. Perhaps it was because she was beginning to grow lonely. She hadn't seen her brother nor her father since the Phoenix Group first took over the colony. Lucas was able to talk to her over the radio at times, but it was rare and not for very long. And she had no idea when she'd be able to speak to her father again. Whenever either of her two "bodyguards" came in with her food, she found herself begging for news about her friends and family but was only given a quick wave of the hand and annoyed glare from Drake and Ryan would leave her with a simple, "They're alive." Neither would give her any details about the current events in Terra Nova.

And now, as she sat at the empty desk, struggling to focus on the screen, loud voices neared her room. Her head snapped up, her grip on the plex tightened as her eyes stayed trained on the doorway to her right. Suddenly, Lucas stormed in, startling her.

"Lucas!" she exclaimed, grinning widely at the surprise visit. "What are you doing here?"

He didn't look at her, just headed straight towards the bed behind her. She frowned, turning so her legs hung on the side of the seat so she could see him better. He yanked a large, empty black backpack - identical to the one she had brought through the portal with her - from under her unmade bed. Alex's brows cinched together as Lucas began to stuff her clothes into it.

"_What are you doing? _Why are you packing my stuff?" she asked, pausing minutely. "Wait, am I leaving? Am I going home now?" The hope was obvious in her voice.

"You're leaving," he replied flatly. "But not back to Terra Nova. It's not safe yet."

"What?" her voice cracked a little as her face fell. "What's going on?"

When he didn't respond, Alex stood up, feeling frustrated. She had been hiding in a God damned tree, with no one to talk to, never knowing what was happening at home, where her father was, or even the exact reason as to why she was hiding in the jungle. She had gone a month being kept in the dark. She was sick and tired of being shut out by everyone around her.

"Lucas!" she half-yelled.

He froze, one hand still hovering above the backpack, a shirt in his fist, but he didn't look up.

"_Look at me_," she commanded; and he did. "Tell me what's going on. I want to know."

Lucas stood up to his full height, Alex was about a foot or so shorter than him. He shoved his hands in his pockets and cocked his head to the side. He stared at the seventeen-year-old girl before him, but he kept seeing the tiny five-year-old that had clung to fear the day their mom died.

"I'm trying to protect you."

She rolled her eyes. "That's what you said when you brought me here. And a bunch of other bullshit. Now I want the _truth_. I'm not a kid anymore, Lucas. Whatever it is, I'm sure I can handle it."

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, considering how to explain before motioning to the chair beside her. Alex sat obediently, becoming worried. Was it so bad that she really needed to be seated when she heard it? She watched as her brother walked towards her.

"Why can't I go back to Terra Nova?" she asked softly.

He knelt down in front of her so she looked down at him. His face was serious, his green eyes that matched hers, darkened as he stared up at her. She watched him intently, noting his nervous attitude. The last time he had acted this way, was the night she left Terra Nova.

"I'm not working with them anymore, as you know. But _they _don't. The Phoenix Group," he began, "has never been the most…trustworthy bunch. But for some _stupid_ reason…I decided to do just that six years ago - trust them. My _employers _have instructed them to do whatever is necessary to get the job done; and get rid of _anyone _who tries to stop them."

"What _is _the job exactly?" Alex interrupted.

Lucas frowned.

"To take over Terra Nova." The obvious part. "And strip mine the valley," he admitted, breaking eye contact with his sister as if he feared her reaction.

"You were going to help them _destroy_ this place?" she said in disbelief, gesturing around her to the trees all around the camp. Lucas nodded shamefully, finally realizing the errors of his decisions. "Well I don't think Dad will let that happen so -"

"Alex! He is not some sort of _god_!" Lucas snapped, eyes flashing in annoyance. "He can't just _stop _them!"

Alex flinched at his raised voice, brow furrowing as she found herself glaring at her brother. He rubbed his brow, obviously stressed. In ways he looked better than he had when they first crossed paths after almost eleven years, but at the same time, he seemed worse.

"Believe me, I wish it was that simple," he sighed. "So far, _our dear father_, has only managed to cause them a few minor problems. But it's pissed Weaver and Hooper off all the same. And like I said, they'll hurt - kill - anyone who gets in their way."

"B-but, they can't kill him if they can't find him," she stuttered.

"Alex, I made you come out here because my employers wanted to use _you_ to get _him_. You were going to be their leverage. I have no idea what they were planning on doing exactly, but I couldn't risk you getting hurt," he explained, watching as Alex's expression became a mixture of shock and embarrassment.

"I-I had no idea," she murmured, staring at the floor. "Why didn't you say anything? You should've told me."

"I didn't want you to worry…"

"Well that didn't really work, did it? Worrying is practically the only thing I've been doing for the past three and half weeks," she laughed softly, playing with the hem of her shorts.

Lucas stared at her sadly.

"So what now?"

"Now, you have to go again."

"But why? What's wrong with here?" Alex glanced around the tree-house. The walls and ceiling were bland, the bed was really just a small cot with a simple blanket and pillow. The room seemed much larger from the lack of furniture. Most of Lucas's stuff was in Terra Nova now, leaving the "bed", desk, and a table in the center. It wasn't like her house in Terra Nova, but she didn't really want to move again. She had actually started to like the simple, little place.

"Hooper decided he wanted some of his men to come here so they'd have a base outside the gates. As far as they know, you're hiding out at Dad's camp. And we can't risk them finding you here, so you've gotta go."

"And how is that supposed to work exactly? Where else is there for me to hide?"

"I have a few other places that I made when I first started…living out in the jungle. You'll be staying at one of them. I'm not sure which yet."

"So you're just gonna dump be out there?" She frowned.

"Of course not," Lucas chuckled. "Ryan Carter will be with you."

Alex struggled to keep her jaw from dropping. "Ryan C-Carter?" Her head snapped up when she heard shuffling outside. She spotted Mira and _Ryan _in the doorway about fifteen feet from where she sat. The Sixer folded his arms over his chest, a conflicted expression on his face. She looked back at her brother, eyes wide.

"_You're going to send me out there with some random Sixer?_" she hissed, glancing up at the "random Sixer" minutely.

"He's not a random Sixer," he laughed quietly. "I trust him."

Alex arched her eyebrows. "Why the hell would you trust him? I mean, if your employers back-stabbed you, who's to say that these _Sixers _won't do the same? That _he _won't?"

"It's a long story… But I know he'd do anything to protect you."

She rolled her eyes, growing angry.

"Alex, how would it be any different than now? It's basically the same thing, only you'd be in a different location."

"And there would be nobody besides me and him?"

Lucas's brow furrowed briefly as he thought.

"Okay, sorry I'm not exactly overjoyed about being forced to move again and live out in the jungle with a stranger," she remarked, slumping in her chair like a child.

"Stranger? From what I've heard, you two get along fairly well." Lucas shrugged.

She crossed her arms over her chest, annoyed.

"We're not _friends_, if that's what you're getting at. We've never even had a conversation," she retorted defensively. "Why can't I just live at Dad's camp, wherever that is? Wouldn't I be safer with there?"

"Perhaps, but there's also a chance that it would be more risky. The Phoenix Group is searching for him and determined to locate his camp. And if they succeed, and you're there…" Lucas shook his head as if he didn't want to think about it. "They'll have leverage and it just wouldn't turn out well, okay? And Dad agrees…"

"You've talked to him?" She arched her eyebrows, shocked.

"Indirectly, but yes," he lied, simply hoping to convince her.

Alexandra looked at him, shaking her head back and forth in frustration.

"I know it's not really an ideal living arrangement, but it's just for now. You'll be safer."

Alex looked away at the wall beside her bed. A partial piece of one of Lucas's equations still hung there, abandoned. She stared at it quietly, her face expressionless. She ran her fingers through her blonde hair, pushing it out of her face.

"How long would it be for?" she whispered.

Lucas stood up, but like his sister, his gaze fell to the floor. "I'm not sure. It all depends on how long it takes to get rid of the Phoenix Group…"

"You trust him?"

"With my life, and with yours."

She sighed, resting her arms on the top of the chair's back and lying her head down. She just wanted to go home already, but obviously that wasn't an option.

"Okay." She turned to face her brother again. "I don't have much of a choice though," she said bitterly.

"Are we leaving now?"

"No…the soldiers aren't arriving till tomorrow afternoon, so you'll be going first thing in the morning. I'll stay here tonight…they think I'm doing an OTG thing with Mira."

She nodded in understanding.

"I'm going to get some sleep then," she said absentmindedly.

Lucas nodded as Alexandra stood slowly and made her way to the cot. He could see how upset this was making her, but there wasn't much he could do to help her. The only thing to do was to get the foreign soldiers out of Terra Nova as soon as possible. And at this point, he really was okay with getting help from his father and the Terra Novan soldiers. Even though Alex was nearly eighteen, she would always be his baby sister, and it was his job to protect her. Even if it meant throwing his life's work away, he'd do it.

"Hey," he said quietly, looking over at her in concern. She paused, turning to him, her green eyes moist as she held back frustrated tears. "I'm sorry."

She nodded, lying down on her bed and staring at the ceiling.

"This is my fault…and _I'm going to fix it_, Alex. I swear," he promised.

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as always, I love to hear your thoughts!


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